Getting Him
by Invaderk
Summary: [RLNT] If Tonks and Remus don't end up ringing each other's necks, they may just have a future. Tonks hopes for the latter and, better yet, she has a plan.
1. The Plan

A/N: Like I said in a conversation with someone, LupinTonks syndrome is only treatable by writing a nice long chapter story. Let's see if it works…

And, holy cow, Mugglenet finally has a picture of the actress for Tonks on set! I love the combat boots (want them is more like) and the actress looks promising. Purple hair, yes, but I imagine we'll have our fix of pink and spiky before the end. Anyway, this is a story, not a Tonks rant. Onward!

Disclaimer: Ha, Rowling wishes she could have this much fun.

Happy Reading!

* * *

**Getting Him**

From her mousy brown hair to her unpleasant demeanor Tonks derived that she was sick. Not throwing up sick, though she feared that was next, but a kind of sick that can be caught only from another person, and yet it is not contagious. She refused to call it 'love sick', as it reminded her of all the sappy movies she had been forced to watch as a kid, but it was pretty much just that at this point. Only the person she was chasing refused to be more than strictly professional. He was infuriating, actually, to the point that all she really wanted to do was rip his head off and ask for her life back. She swore that if she saw him again she would march right up to him, look him in the eye and tell him what an idiot he –

"Ouch!"

Tonks snapped out of her dark thoughts to find that she was on the ground. She shook her head. It seemed to her that no matter where she went these days she ended up on the ground. Even in the local bar she had found herself on the ground, only that had been a little different. It was, she thought, like trying to walk, talk and chew gum at the same time. After a moment she looked up and saw that the reason she was on the ground was because she had walked right into the person she had been thinking infuriating thoughts about. Her mouth went dry. And, judging by the feathers that were floating everywhere, he had been carrying a pillow and she had ripped it in her fall.

"Sorry," she apologized hastily. _You stupid git, I hate you. Look what you've done to me!_

"Not a problem. Here." He held out a hand.

She eyed him for a moment, fighting to keep her eyes from narrowing and wondered if she looked constipated from the effort, and then looked at his outstretched hand. She'd held that hand once, at a funeral, that very one, and then he'd gotten afraid and changed his mind. Taking his hand now would be like giving in, she mused, like admitting that she missed the warmth of his hand, slightly rough, and like admitting that she still fancied him, which she had previously insisted that she didn't. So who would win here? Her or him?

_Or maybe you're overanalyzing it_, she scolded herself. _He's just lending you a hand. Enough with the symbolism already and take it before he wonders if you've turned into a statue_.

Grudgingly, hating herself and him for it, she grabbed his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. He waved his wand once Tonks was stable and the feathers flew back into the pillowcase, white with yellow stripes, and sealed itself. Tonks wondered what the pillow was for, but didn't ask. In fact, before she had time to laugh at the yellow-striped pillow Remus had disappeared up the stairs with it tucked under his arm. With a sigh, Tonks wandered into the kitchen. Standing there was Molly, chopping up some onions.

"Hey Molly," Tonks said in an attempt to be cheerful. Molly turned.

"Oh, hello dear. Have you seen Remus lately?"

Tonks raised an eyebrow and snatched a freshly peeled carrot off the counter. She bit into it moodily so that she would not have to answer Molly's question. Molly, however, smiled knowingly and wiped a tear away that had been brought by the onions.

"Have you ever thought of taking matters into your own hands?" she asked calmly, turning back to her onions.

Tonks thought about this for a moment or so, chewing on her large bite of carrot. The honest answer was that she didn't know what Molly meant. "Define 'taking matters into my own hands'."

Molly raised a brow now and said coolly, "Remus has currently evacuated his house due to a possible infestation of manticores."

Tonks laughed. Yes, the image of Remus battling a rabid manticore with a wooden chair and an umbrella was very appealing at the moment.

"That would explain the pillow, then. Yeah, so?"

"_So_," Molly set down her wand and turned to Tonks patiently, "he has nowhere to stay except for here. And he really does hate this place. I can't say I blame him…" she shuddered. Whether involuntary or for added effect, Tonks thought the results on the mood of the conversation were good.

Tonks' eyebrows shot up so fast she was amazed that they didn't fly off her face. Surely Molly wasn't suggesting that Remus stay with Tonks?

"Why can't he stay with you?" Tonks narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Molly's eyes twinkled as she replied, "I'm afraid I've been feeling a little… under the weather. Dragon Pox, I fear, very contagious."

Tonks snorted with laughter. "You are the greatest, Molly, but Remus would never stay with me, not in a million years. We have a hate/hate relationship, remember?"

"He doesn't hate you, Tonks," Molly insisted sternly, picking up a carrot and biting into it. Apparently she was feeling none of the self-pity Tonks was feeling for herself. "He already fancies you, that we know, he's just being noble; he wants the best for you. All you have to do is convince him that _he's_ the best for you."

Tonks tugged on a pull in her sleeve, not wanting to meet the redhead's eyes. "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I've told him a million times, Molly." This was all too true, after all.

With a smirk, Molly suggested, "Maybe words are not what he needs. Maybe you need to try actions to get him."

Get him, Tonks thought, sounded like something to say about a possession or toy. Then again…

"Maybe you're right." Tonks tapped her own temple. "You're too smart, Molly, thanks a ton."

Molly chuckled and continued making dinner as Tonks started for the door.

-

Grimmauld Place was so dismal that Tonks couldn't blame Remus in the slightest for not wanting to live there. _All in my favor_, she thought grimly, and knocked on his door. She tapped a rhythm on her thigh and tried to ignore the hammering in her chest and in her throat. Sure, the worst thing that could happen was that he turned her down, but rejection had become rather annoying in the past months. His footfalls, weary, told her that she had approximately three seconds… two seconds… one second…

"Can I help you, Tonks?"

She suddenly realized that she had put no thought whatsoever into what she was going to say. As usual, he was already driving her crazy with the nonchalance in which he addressed her.

"Er…" she began, wondering if this was such a great idea. "Molly tells me you have a bit of a manticore problem." _Oh yeah, genius observation, Tonks._ "And I know how much you hate this place and I was wondering if you wanted to crash at my flat for a few –" Best not say 'nights' she decided "– days while you get the problem sorted out."

Remus sighed and leaned against the doorframe, brushing his graying hair from his eyes. "I thought we were past this, Tonks."

Tonks fought back the urge to snort loudly. She found it hard to believe that he had bought the story she had fed him about her liking her hair like this now, lank and dull, and that she was not being miserable and that he was just thinking too much about her – analyzing the situation too hard. She defensively held up her hands to shoulder-height.

"Hey, Remus, we called a truce, remember?" _Too true, she thought, though me saying that I didn't mind you ditching me and that I was over you was the most cock-and-bull story I have ever spun._ Some truce.

He shrugged and replied simply, "I thought that staying at your flat might bring about an, ah, relapse?"

She plastered a cheeky smile on her face. "Nope, you can't tempt me, Remus. You're too boring for me anyway, I think. That, and you'd probably disapprove of my lifestyle too much to want to stay long-term."

He seemed to consider this, still leaning on the doorframe as if he could not hold himself up on his legs. And he probably couldn't, Tonks figured, as the full moon transformation had ended just yesterday. In fact, he looked almost tempted, which she wasn't ready to accept just yet. After a few moments, in which Tonks waited in awkward silence, silently fingering her robe sleeve, Remus stood up straighter and shrugged.

"Alright," he said plainly, picking up his pillow. "You're on."

She gaped at him, noticing a mixture of apprehension and amusement at her reaction behind his eyes. This was too easy, after all. She had been expecting more of a challenge… hell, she'd almost been hoping for one. A challenge would have meant that he considered their relationship to be more than friendly and professional. And yet, Molly's suggestion that actions meant more than words in this case were still ringing in Tonks' ears. She grinned half-truly this time – a little candle of hope had been lit inside her, warming her insides for the first time since the funeral.

"You're on," she said, and snatched his pillow away from him playfully. She put it under her arm and waited for him to get his single bag before they headed downstairs. Once they had reached the landing she added, "Nice pillow, by the way. Yellow is definitely your color."

* * *

A/N: I'm really happy by how easily this flowed from my brain without any hesitation. Usually that doesn't happen. I'd also like to mention that I'm really working on putting more, how do you say it? _life_, into my stories. Not just 'he said she said he walked over and picked up his pillow' kind of stuff, but more thoughts and whatnot. Meh, I don't know what I'm talking about. Anyway, this fic should be a real learning experience for me. 


	2. The Move

A/N: This chapter was a bit more difficult and a tad bit longer.

Disclaimer: If I was Rowling I wouldn't be bummed about having to spend a truckload of cash on a new retainer.

Happy Reading!

* * *

The Move

Remus thought that Tonks' flat was a lot nicer than he had expected. No, it didn't have flowing fountains and house elves everywhere, but still, it was nicer than any hotel he'd ever stayed in, and it was very, well, _Tonks_. Each of the walls was painted a different color in the sitting room, which was where he stood with his singular bag with his clothes and supply of cleansing mints, among other things. He shifted it in his hand rather uncomfortably; he had been almost hoping that the place wasn't nice so he wouldn't be tempted to stay long-term. If Tonks would let him, of course, but she seemed to be faring pretty well after the horrible breakup.

"So, what do you think?" she chirped.

He slowly turned around, bag in hand, and sought for the right words.

"It's very… charming," he said. "Very you. I especially like the walls."

She chuckled. "Yes, that was fun. Sorry about the mess, by the way." Before he had time to comment she had taken him by the sleeve (_very unromantic_, thought Remus gratefully) and was leading him into the hallway.

"The kitchen branches off the sitting room here," she pointed to the room as she spoke and Remus had time to glimpse a very messy kitchen with pots and pans piled in the sink. "And the loo is right there. Oh, here's my room, come look!"

She pulled him into her room and he raised his eyebrows. He thought the room was very nice, if a little too spacious. Then again, she had taken up the space quite nicely by throwing an assortment of clothes in every which direction. His eyes swept the room, taking in everything from the hammock hanging in the corner to the green and blue striped underpants laying on the bookshelf. The bed, donned with a red silk comforter, was a king size.

"So," he said conversationally, "do you sleep diagonally?"

"Huh?" she looked confused.

"Well your bed is enormous. I figured you must sleep diagonally to need a bed that size."

"Oh, no, that's for all the men I bring home with me." She shoved him playfully and teased, "Just wait to you see _your_ room."

"Now I'm afraid," he commented, but she had already pulled him off again and across the hall.

All in all, his room was much like hers, only a bit smaller with a queen-size bed instead of a king.

Tonks nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Not bah, eh?

He scratched his chin thoughtfully and replied, "Well," here, a hint of sarcasm, "I'd prefer the king-sized bed, but this'll have to do."

She laughed, her shoulders shaking, and said, "We can switch if you want – I know you're only accustomed to the very best, what with having stayed at Headquarters. If you want, I can find a House Elf and chop off it's head to create more décor."

-

In the kitchen Remus decided that he was going to have to fix a few things before he could live comfortably. No, he was not a neat freak, exactly, but he usually did the dishes and didn't exactly like the sound of his trainers sticking to the floor with every step. Tonks didn't seem to mind though; she went straight to the stove and tapped the teapot with her wand.

He felt slightly awkward, as he didn't know what was expected of him, but then he reminded himself that he was staying with Tonks, not Barty Crouch Senior. He crossed the room and sat down on the couch, only to find that something was already sitting on it. He jumped up. Sitting curled up on the couch was a large dog – not Great Dane big, but pretty large nonetheless. It had a sleek body like a greyhound and a forked tail like a krup.

"Oh, hello," Remus murmured. "I didn't know Nymphadora was seeing someone."

He gave a yelp as a wet sponge that smelled of fish connected with the side of his head.

"Shut up Remus."

He chuckled and offered a hand to the dog. "What kind is it?" The dog wagged its forked tail and licked his hand, sending flecks of spittle all over.

"A lot of things, but mostly he's a whippet," Tonks said over her shoulder, pouring tea into two cups with little bears painted on them.

"Mostly, I see."

"Yes. His name's Devo."

Remus laughed at that and was suddenly glad he'd chosen to stay with Tonks – she provided much more comic relief and she really did seem to be over him, and that was always good motivation for him to get over her.

Tonks brought out the tea and they sat together at the scrubbed kitchen table. She eyed him dutifully over the rim of her teacup, trying to guess what the man in ragged clothes was thinking. He seemed perfectly happy and passive.

"So," he said slowly, eyes roaming the room.

"So," she echoed, not looking away from him. He took a deep sip of tea and she took this opportunity to ask, "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

He gagged on his tea and swallowed his mouthful, scalding his throat raw. "Of course I have!" he gasped.

Tonks smirked.

"A _real_ girlfriend?"

"Yes, Tonks, a _real_ girlfriend," he said.

"How do you know it was a _real_ girlfriend?" she pressed, suppressing a grin at his loss for words. He shrugged and she figured he didn't want to go into it. He wasn't the type to talk about his relationships of the past as it was, never mind go into detail about them... not that she wanted to hear steamy details or anything. "Did you kiss her?"

"Of course," he replied simply, risking a sip of his tea.

"Did you shag?"

Again, he gagged on his tea and burned his throat. "Does it matter?" he gasped.

"Yeah. How else am I supposed to know if you've had a _real_ girlfriend?" Tonks reasoned.

Remus stood and siphoned away his tea with a flick of his wand. He bowed gratefully to Tonks, who clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, and made for the door.

"I'm dreadfully tired after the move," he said in his hoarse, polite voice. Tonks bit back the comment that had jumped to her tongue – that he had only brought one bag – and nodded her approval. He continued, "I think I'll just kip in for the night. Good night."

"Bye," Tonks replied. "I probably won't be here in the morning – I have work."

"But of course."

When Remus had disappeared Tonks picked up her silver spoon and examined her reflection in the mirror. She was feeling happier than she had felt in the longest time, so why wouldn't it work? She figured it was worth a try. She screwed up her face and when she opened her eyes she was thrilled to find that her hair was short, pink and spiky.

"That's better," she sighed happily, and began to get ready for bed.

-

Tonks rolled out of bed the next morning, wondering if the previous day had been a dream. Only a peek in the guest bedroom would tell for sure. After dressing and preparing for work (the kitchen showed no sign of a guest, though she was unable to tell due to the vast amount of dishes), she tiptoed down the hall and stopped outside the guest bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. She brought her head close to the door and gently pushed it open, knowing that it would not creak. Her heart nearly stopped.

Remus Lupin was sprawled out, front-down, on the guest bed. He was shirtless, as if seeing Remus in one of her beds wasn't a good enough surprise. The bedclothes were pulled up just past his waist and his head was turned to the side, and Tonks could see several long gashes across his otherwise smooth back, presumably from either his school mischief or from the time he spent underground with the other werewolves. Resisting the sudden urge to go over there and trace the fine scars with her fingertips turned out to be harder then she'd expected and she forcefully reminded herself that Remus was not, well, _hers_. Not yet. There was still plenty of work to be done.

"Okay Tonks, pull yourself together and get to work," she told herself in an inaudible whisper, turning her back to the door and clenching her fists at chest height. She took a deep breath, chanced one last glance at the sleeping figure, and apparated with a _crack_.

-

The first thing Tonks thought when she walked into her kitchen was that she had apparated to the wrong place. The floors were waxed and clean so that her feet did not make a sticking sound when she walked. The sink was empty and the dishes were all put into the proper places. The laundry, even the clothes splayed out on the sitting room floor, was done. The countertop was sparkling clean. And, sitting on the settee with a cup of tea and Devo's head on his lap, was Remus. He smiled pleasantly at Tonks, who looked absolutely dumbfounded.

And the first thing he said, after having spent the day cleaning and slaving over a hot wand was, "How was work?"

_Yup_, she thought._ I must be at the wrong place._

"What happened?" she asked in confusion, her eyes taking in every aspect of her impeccable flat.

Remus chuckled and summoned a cup of tea from the spotless kitchen. It floated towards her and she took it without really thinking about it. She crossed the room, wondering if she was in the right place, and sank beside Remus on the settee.

"I did a little tidying up," Remus said with a shrug, as if he cleaned houses all the time.

Tonks turned to him, her face still looking rather shocked. She still felt rather shocked, to tell the truth, and she wondered how she would manage in this new environment.

"Marry me, Remus," she said flatly.

"Now Tonks, remember what we said," Remus said in a falsely reprimanding voice, and they both laughed.

That night, as Tonks crawled into her bed, which had been made and was devoid of clothing, she remembered her plans for the following day. While she hadn't been planning on having Remus at the house with her when she'd excepted, she had a feeling that her family wouldn't mind all that much.

She rolled over into the fetal position and fell asleep shortly after.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the cheesy name for the dog. I always wanted a Whippet named Devo. 


	3. The Slip

A/N: This has been my favorite chapter thus far in this story, hands down. I hope you like it, too.

Disclaimer: I own nothing… especially not Remus Lupin, who I wish I did own but I don't.

Happy Reading!

* * *

The morning light awoke Remus like a poke in the eye. Tonks was bustling about in his room, pulling open curtains and throwing things about. He noticed that she was dressed in a sleeveless shirt that matched her hair and a pair of old jeans that had been cut into shorts. Why she was dressed like this, he didn't know, but he suspected that the rose-tinted sunglasses she had on her head were a sure sign she was going out somewhere.

"Wake up, Remmy!" she chirped, confirming his suspicions. "We have to go soon."

He groaned and pulled the bedclothes closer up to better hide his scarred body. _Remmy_? Had she really just called him that? Sirius had called him Remmy once in school and Remus had beat him soundly over the head with a pillow. And then the rest of her words clicked in his brain, as if on delay.

"Where are we going?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Surely not to Headquarters?"

Tonks laughed and replied, "Nope, we're going on a day trip."

"To where?" Remus sat up in bed, wondering if he was still asleep and dreaming.

"Oh, just a little river down the way. My cousin Freddy called and said that he, his wife Stacey, my other cousin David and _his_ wife Joanne were going boating in the area today and said that I should join them." She paused for effect and added, "I'd have said no if I knew you were going to be here, but I didn't and you are, so we're going."

Remus sat up and rubbed his eyes groggily. He hadn't been planning on doing anything more strenuous than reading his book, but he'd never been boating before. As a kid he'd been afraid of the water, and as a grown man he'd neither known anybody with a boat nor could he afford one of his own. He shrugged. Besides, he figured, it's Tonks' house and he was basically obligated to do whatever she wanted. An involuntary shudder coursed through him at the thought of telling her that, though she probably already figured as much.

"Okay, sounds like a plan," he said. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible." Tonks headed for the door and then stopped, having just remembered something. She turned around and added innocently, "Oh yes, and by the way, they're all Muggles on my dad's side of the family."

Remus' eye twitched. He had no problems with Muggles, of course, but he didn't have any Muggle clothes, never mind boating clothes. When he shared this thought with Tonks she laughed and materialized a pair of Hawaiian swim trunks and a button down t-shirt, complete with white wife beater. She tossed them and he caught it, and his brows shot up so fast he thought they would go into his hairline.

"Er," he said slowly, examining the wife beater. He was at a loss for words.

Tonks laughed, "Be ready in five minutes, will you? We've gotta meet them at eleven."

-

As she instructed, Remus was ready in five minutes and standing in the kitchen, organizing the potion ingredient cabinet. Ten minutes later Tonks came walking in, ready to go, but she tripped in the doorway and fell flat on her face. Remus abandoned his work, hastily stuffed the packet he had been sorting into his inner pocket and ran over to assist her to her feet. He found that he was unable to help but notice that, from her knees down to her sandals (also pink), there was nothing but bare skin.

_And she has nice legs, too_, he thought, but then scolded himself. _But it doesn't matter,_ he thought petulantly, _we don't have a future anyway. _

He accidentally expressed his dark thoughts by yanking Tonks up a lot harder than he had meant to. She yelped and fell forward again and he caught her in his arms.

"Oops, sorry about that," he said calmly, and set her back on her feet in an almost mechanical manner. She laughed.

"Let's go," she said. "If you hadn't taken so long getting ready we'd be gone already."

Remus had the distinct feeling that he was being flirted with and, thought he tried to bite his tongue, he shot back, "Oh yes, all my fault. So sorry, it won't happen again, I assure you."

"Good," she said tersely, opening the door.

He paused for a moment to look at her apparel and then his. "I feel like a tourist or something," he said, eyeing his wife beater and unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt.

"You _look_ like a tourist or something," Tonks replied simply as they walked down a flight of stairs towards the garage. "But don't worry, they all do. Now get in the car."

"After you," he said, taking the door and holding it open for her. A flicker of surprise flitted across her face at his act of politeness and she exited the flat, thinking that he would make a very nice doorman. A very good-looking one, too.

Tonks loved her car. She'd gotten it from her father years back when she'd first moved out of the house and into her humble flat. It was a red EJ Holden and, with the exception of her wand, was her most prized possession. Apparently Remus liked it too, as she saw his brows shoot up when he laid eyes on the car.

"Wow," he said, abandoning all polite pretenses. "Where'd you get _that_?"

Tonks laughed at Remus' unusual manner and got into the front driver's seat. "My old man," she said. "He saved it from the junkyard and renewed it. It was a hobby of his – repairing old cars – and he gave me this as a parting present. It was his first one."

"He trusted you with a car?" Remus said conversationally, though he was clearly taunting her. "After all the stairs you've fallen down?"

"Yes he did, in fact."

"That's amazing."

"Oh ha-ha," came the sarcastic reply.

Remus ran a hand over the spotlessly burnished red paint and then sat slowly in the passenger's seat, as if he was afraid of breaking the car if he touched it too roughly. "It's beautiful," he murmured.

"Glad you like it," Tonks replied, pointing her wand at the garage door and opening it. She put the key in the ignition and the car roared to life, music coming on out of nowhere and scaring Remus out of his mind.

"I hope you like the Weird Sisters," Tonks said as she backed out of the garage.

"Why?" Remus asked. He doubted that the Muggles would listen to any wizard band like the Weird Sisters.

"Because," Tonks replied loudly, reaching over and cranking up the volume, "When my dad fixed this car up, he changed a few things."

"What kind of things?" Remus shouted over the music, reaching up and grabbing the bar that was conveniently located in case of a sudden stop or a car accident – something Remus thought was quite likely if Tonks drove like she walked.

"He put in a custom stereo!" Tonks shouted, cranking up the volume and bass so that the whole car shook with the music. She put the car in gear and sped down the road, laughing loudly.

-

"That was probably the most degrading thing I've ever heard," Remus said as he and Tonks got out of the car. As it was, he thought he was lucky to be alive and wondered how ever on earth Tonks got her license in the first place. With a shudder, he remembered that she was a witch and probably never took a driving test.

Tonks laughed and replied, "Yeah, well, that's the Weird Sisters for you. Ah, here we are!" Four people were waving at the pair of them. Tonks locked the car and waved back, grinning broadly all the while. "Hey guys!"

The four people approached, all grinning from ear to ear. Remus thought they looked like nice people, even the guy with the lip piercing.

"It's so nice to see you!" a brunette bloke with dark sunglasses said, hugging Tonks so hard that she coughed. "I see you've cut your hair again – I've never thought pink looked so good on someone!"

Tonks laughed and hugged the man in return. "Thanks David," she said. "I'll remember to say that to my boss."

One of the women, a blonde, looked at Remus with an impressed look on her face and he was suddenly glad she was married – she had a very… _hungry_ look about her.

"Who is _this_, Tonks?" the blonde woman asked. "He doesn't look like another one of your boyfriends."

Tonks and Remus blushed simultaneously.

"Nope, he's not," Tonks replied simply. "Everyone, this is Remus. He's staying at my place for a while until somebody fixes his ma – his roach infestation." The other woman, who had an eyebrow piercing and brown hair, wrinkled her nose. "Remus, this is David, Freddy, Stacey and Joanne," Tonks continued, pointing to the man with the shades, a man with shaggy blonde hair and the lip piercing, the blonde woman and the woman with the brown hair respectively. Remus nodded to each of them in polite acknowledgement and they, him.

David clapped his hands together and said cheerfully, "Well, let's get going, then. We're going to tie up once we're on the river and we have an anchor thrown out."

Remus nodded even though he had no idea what 'tie up' meant and followed Tonks down towards the town dock. Once the others had a good deal of distance ahead of them he murmured into her ear, "What do they mean by 'tie up'? I'm not going to end up tied up to chair, am I?"

She ignored the tickling sensation caused by his breath in her ear and replied, "Only if cousin Tessa gets a hold of you; she has a thing for older men." Remus chuckled, feeling less awkward now that he was in the midst of people who didn't think his tourist outfit was ridiculous. "And 'tie up' means that they're going to throw an anchor out and tie their boats together so we can have a right good party."

"Aha," said Remus, lengthening his stride as they began downhill towards the water.

Muggles walked past in groups and pairs, hardly sparing them a glance. Of course, Tonks received more glances than Remus, as she had pink hair, but he wasn't complaining. He was quite contented at the moment, enjoying the sun on his face and the sea breeze playing with his hair – it was almost like being young again.

-

The day crept slowly by, full of story-telling and cheap beer. And yet Remus found himself laughing genuinely at Freddy's story about the time he and Stacey had had an argument and she had pushed him off the boat, only to find that she had lost the lifesaver. Remus met Tessa, a charming girl of Tonks' age who hit on him constantly, causing Tonks to scowl but also leaving her unable to do anything. Tonks got along well with all her family and shared tales of her doing at work. In front of her family, Tonks was not an Auror but a waitress.

"So I said 'Oh, you think so, buddy?' and I poured the soda over his head. Take _that_, chum, and we'll see if you ever say anything about my hair again!" Tonks said defiantly, punching the air with her fist. The others, Remus included, roared with laughter. Remus was amazed that Tonks could make up such believable stories and tell them so well. Then again, he thought, Tonks was a pretty amazing person in general.

Tessa turned to Remus and put a hand on his knee, which he found to be more amusing than enticing, and said, "So, Remus, what do you do for a living?"

"Well," Remus said conversationally, calmly removing Tessa's hand from his knee and catching Tonks' smirk in his peripheral vision, "I am currently unemployed due to an – occupational hazard."

Joanne raised her pierced brow and asked, "What kind of occupational hazard?"

Remus made up a lie on the spot. "I have – er – weak knees and a bad back. It makes me useless for lifting and manual labor and, as I have a degree in mechanics, renders me useless."

Stacey made a sympathetic noise.

"Well if you can't find a job, you can work at my law firm," Stacey said, and laughed.

"Thank you," Remus replied politely. "I'll keep that in mind."

Tonks roared with laughter and blamed it on the beer, though Remus knew better – she'd only had half a bottle thus far.

-

Once the two boats, one thirty feet and the other fifty, were 'tied up' and anchored, Joanne went about making lunch. Tonks took Remus up on the bow of the fifty footer and showed him the view.

"Isn't it amazing?" asked Tonks, slipping slightly on the salty, slippery bow and grabbing his arm for support. She let go quickly and straightened up, turning the other way to hide the color that rose to her cheeks.

"It is nice," he replied quietly, admiring the sparkling water. In his hand was his Hawaiian shirt, which he had spilled his beverage on and had removed for the purpose of cleaning. It was now sopping wet, though the smell of liquor had been removed by magic when none of the Muggles were looking. "It's very… refreshing."

Tonks nodded, a lock of pink hair falling into her eyes, which she had decided were better off brown for this trip. She brushed it away impatiently, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

"I'd better hang this up," he said, holding up his shirt. "I don't think this is very Me." he plucked the beater away from his skin and laughed.

Carefully, as to avoid falling, Remus walked along the bow until he reached the very front, and pinned his shirt on the railing with a clothespin that Joanne had given him. As he straightened up, a bout of wake came from a passing speed boat and rocked the fifty footer. The boat was so large that it did not rock much, nor did it bother any of the owners, but Remus hadn't acquired 'sea legs' yet, and stumbled backwards. Tonks gave a shout and his legs gave out from underneath him when they hit the rail, sending him backwards over the edge of the boat and into the water. Tearing her sunglasses off and throwing them into the boat, Tonks cursed when she heard the splash and made to run to the edge of the bow. On her way over, she slipped on the wet fiberglass and toppled over the edge as well, giving a loud shout as she did so.

She hit the water with a splash to rival Remus' and when she surfaced, found herself bobbing in the water next to the werewolf.

"How nice of you to drop in," he said conversationally, jerking his head back to move his graying hair from his eyes.

Tonks laughed and spit out a stream of salty water. She shook her head, spraying Remus so that he laughed hoarsely. She bobbed there in the water, grinning, pink hair matted down on her head and plastered to her forehead, and he couldn't help but think –

"How can any one person be so endearing?" His eyes widened and he sank beneath the water, scolding himself for even thinking it, never mind saying it. He couldn't believe he'd said it; he was supposed to be over her and he'd blown his cover.

A pair of hands reached down and pulled him to the surface by the collar on his soaked shirt. It was her, of course, and she looked both bewildered and amazed by what he'd said.

"What did you just say?" she asked, eyes wide, as if she hadn't heard him correctly.

He stared at her, guilt coursing through him at the prospect of lying and at the prospect of telling the truth. Either way he would lose. Whether she knew or not, he would lose. He continued to stare at her, expressionless with water dripping down from his hair, which was hanging down his face, and off the tip of his nose.

"Nothing," he lied in a low voice he knew wouldn't convince her, but he couldn't bring himself to act. "I said nothing."

She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, her hands still clenched on his shirt, and then Joanne and David appeared on the bow of the ship.

"Are you two okay?" Joanne asked loudly.

Tonks stared at Remus for a moment longer and then pushed his head under water. When she pulled him back up, through his spluttering and gasping she hissed "I'm not going to forget this" and let him go. She swam up to the swim platform of the boat and climbed up the ladder. Remus could hear her cheerfully say, "Sorry, Remus fell in and I went after him."

Remus let the air out of his lungs and went back under the water, hoping that he might drown.

-

For the rest of the time, Remus and Tonks acted as if nothing had happened. However, a dread filled him like a sleeping drought, acting quickly and staying long-term. He didn't want to face Tonks, because he knew what she would say – that he was supposed to be over her and he couldn't stay with her any more. _And to think_, he thought bitterly, _I was just beginning to enjoy myself._

In the loo, he moodily dried his Hawaiian shirt with magic and tore off his white beater. It was dripping wet, and drying it with magic would probably raise suspicion anyway. He pulled the Hawaiian shirt on and buttoned it all the way up because he didn't much feel like having to deal with Tessa hitting on him when he was vulnerable to attack. Once he'd hung his beater out to dry he joined the rest of the crowd on deck.

When Remus sat down at the table Tonks looked briefly at him while she laughed at David's joke about the lawyer and the police officer. Her eyes flickered quickly from the dark brown they had been to a crystal blue and then back in less than a second. Remus' eyes widened in alarm, all dread and awkwardness momentarily forgotten. Surely she was not purposely metamorphosing _here_, in front of all there Muggles…? The thought alone made Remus want to contact the Ministry and he wondered why he hadn't jumped up in terror.

Quickly, as nonchalantly as possible, Remus wrote her a note on a napkin, making brief eye contact with her and giving her a meaningful look. He figured that if she was going to metamorph, she probably wasn't doing it on purpose and needed to be alerted about it. Pronto. He put the note under her glass and slid it over to her across the small table after making sure that nobody was looking at him. Tonks, without taking her eyes off of David, who was now telling a story about a time he and his family had run out of gas right in front of a railroad bridge, lifted her glass and drank from it. It was then that she noticed the napkin with writing on it stuck to the bottom of the glass with condensation. Curiously, she pulled the napkin off the glass and read it. Her eyebrows shot up and Remus was overcome with relief. Why, he was not sure, but he was and he was glad.

"Hey David, can I use the loo?" she asked conversationally. Remus was impressed by how easily she spoke, not betraying her alarm.

David nodded, not stopping his story, and Tonks left. Remus began to stand up, but then sat back down. If he left with her he might look suspicious, and suspicion was the last thing he wanted right now. Yes, he thought, staggering his pursuit was the best thing to do.

When Remus finally did stand up he went up the ladder and went down inside the boat through the port hole at the top, which was not seeable by those on deck. He ducked down inside the forward cabin and knocked on the door of the loo. Tonks poked her head out and when she saw it was him, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in. Once she closed the door Remus discovered that the loo felt a lot smaller now that two people were inside it. He felt slightly claustrophobic and unbuttoned his top button on his shirt to allow more air, wishing that there was more space for him to breathe in. Not an inch separated the two of them. Tonks sat down on the lid of the toilet and put her face in her hands.

"What's the matter, Tonks?" Remus asked worriedly. "You didn't notice that you changed?"

She shook her head and removed her hands from her face. Remus cringed when he saw that her eye color had changed yet again, this time to a bright violet. "It happens when I'm getting sick," said Tonks miserably. "Like a warning of sorts."

_Some warning, _thought Remus sarcastically. "How do we stop it?" he asked urgently.

She rolled her eyes at the ceiling and her eyes flashed back to bright blue. "Essence of belladonna," she said. "I don't suppose you have any on you?"

When Remus shook his head Tonks groaned loudly and clamped her hands over her ears, which had begun to go all pointy like elf ears. Remus couldn't help but allow a smirk to flit across his face at her expense. The combination of blue eyes, spiky pink hair and elf ears reminded him alarmingly of the fairy tale nymphs he'd read about as a child. Not to mention the name Nymphadora, which couldn't have fitted better at the moment. Tonks saw his smirk and wasn't amused in the slightest. On the contrary she looked alarmed, and Remus couldn't blame her – if all these Muggles saw her like this there would probably be a lot of memory modifying and memos to write to the Ministry. And as much as Remus found the paper airplane memos to be amusing, he didn't want to spend his day writing them. Suddenly he remembered something.

"Wait," he said excitedly, causing Tonks to start, "I _do_ have essence of belladonna!"

Tonks stood up so fast that she rammed right into him. Struggling to hide a blush she stammered, "Y-you do?"

"Yes, oddly enough. Hold on a moment…" Remus unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt and reached his hand inside the inner pocket, feeling around for something. He pulled out a small, square packet labeled "Essence of belladonna".

Tonks' eyes lit up at the sight of it and she grabbed it from him excitedly, tearing the top open and sticking her fingers inside to fish out the substance within. Just as Remus was beginning to button his shirt back up again the door opened. Both Remus and Tonks looked up in alarm, thankfully with Tonks' eyes and ears back to normal, to see Stacey standing there with her mouth agape. Her eyes widened as she looked from Remus with his shirt half-opened to Tonks with her thumb and forefinger fishing around in the square packet.

"Oops!" she said quickly, and shut the door again with her hand clamped over her mouth to suppress a bout of giggles.

Tonks and Remus faced each other, both with mouths hanging open, and realized just how bad they must have looked crammed together in the loo, not an inch between them. Remus flushed in embrassment; how he would look Stacey in the eye after this, he didn't know. Tonks, on the other hand, gave a weak laugh and opened the door. She roughly pushed Remus out and closed it again, giggling, so that she could set herself right in peace.

* * *

A/N: Meh, I decided to end it there because I'm both lazy and at a loss for how to end the chapter. And I figured I'd end it on a light note and leave the confrontation for next chapter.

Though I wouldn't mind my own Lupin in a Hawaiian shirt. Heh.

****


	4. The Moment

A/N: So I know I procrastinated an unacceptable amount on this chapter, but WriterArtist, my beta, got back to me in a timeley fashion. So thanks to WriterArtist!

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, things would have gone exactly as I planned them. They are not. Therefore, I own nothing.

Happy Reading!

* * *

The Moment

Tonks knew that Remus knew he had gotten himself in deep. She could sense his fear like a dog, like a wild animal, and she wasn't going to let this stay down. Hadn't it been her goal, anyway? To 'get him' and show him that the two of them were really better off together? And besides, if he'd really said what she thought he'd said, then, well, her job just got a lot easier. And then Molly's warning came into her head like an explosion.

_Maybe words are not what he needs. Maybe you need to try actions to get him._

_There it is again_, she thought, rolling her eyes with sarcasm. _Get him. Somebody get me a fishing rod._

"So, Remus," Tonks closed the door behind her and stood with her back leaning against it, wondering how exactly she was going to approach this, if she was going to. "About before…" she looked down and picked at her fingernail, feeling as awkward as Remus looked, standing expressionless in the hallway. She smacked her lips. "I was wondering if you – oh. Oh, bugger."

A strange, unpleasantly familiar sensation growled in her stomach. She tasted bile and her mouth watered, and she suddenly remembered that she'd received her 'sickness warning'. She clapped a hand to her mouth, annoyed beyond belief that she had to get sick at this particular moment, and darted off in the direction of the loo.

"What the – Tonks?" Remus was baffled beyond belief – he'd been expecting to get told off and then she just kind of ran away from him. "Merlin, I don't understand women," he muttered, rolling his eyes and pursuing the pink-haired woman.

He found her in the loo, kneeling down in front of the toilet.

"Sick?" he asked.

She gave a dry heave in response and coughed. Well, to Remus, the cough was more of a gag, but a cough was a cough. He watched her suffer, unable to do anything, and waited until he was given instruction.

"What're _you_ looking at?" she snapped grumpily, causing him to shift uncomfortable where he stood.

"You," he replied simply. "Done yet?"

She turned back to the toilet and took a few slow, shuddery breaths before falling backwards on the floor, spread-eagled. Remus did nothing at first, unsure of what she was playing at, and only when he began to get nervous did he stride over and touch her shoulder gently. He was rewarded with a groan in reply.

"I'm dying," she muttered.

"Dying, huh?" he jested soothingly. "Am I invited to your funeral?"

"No."

Remus chuckled and scooped her up off the ground, carefully, as to avoid hitting her head on the sink. He felt sort of awkward, carrying Tonks like this, but forced the thought out of his mind. Subsequent to flushing the toilet with his foot, he carried the limp figure into the sitting room and gently laid her down on the couch. Devo came scampering up, wagging his forked tail, and Remus gave him a hasty pat on the head before turning back to Tonks, who was apparently either asleep or unconscious.

"And to think, I thought you were going to yell at me," he mused, pulling a down comforter off the armchair and draping it over her. The last thing he wanted was to say anything incriminating in front of Tonks, given the fact that he had already done enough self-incrimination for one day.

As he figured that staying by her side would be the best thing for him to do at the present time, he summoned up a cup of tea and his old favorite book. Thumbing through the worn pages until he found his favorite part, Remus sipped his tea and waited.

When Tonks finally awoke, she sat up and looked around in perplexity, as if she wasn't quite sure how'd she'd gotten there in the first place. And then she looked up and saw Remus watching her, and she remembered.

"How are you?" Remus asked with the air of one asking about the weather.

Any annoyance Tonks might have felt for his nonchalance was taken out on a loose thread in her blanket.

"Terrible," Tonks snapped in reply. "Can you tell me a story?"

Remus raised his eyebrow at her. Tonks was always full of surprises.

"A story?" he repeated.

When she nodded, he sighed and leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. He shrugged.

"What kind of story?"

"A good one."

"Any preferences?"

Tonks pondered this for a moment, still picking at the blanket. "One about the Marauders. Something you did to Snape, preferably – I'm still mad at him from last week."

Remus' other brow shot up.

"What did he do to you?"

Tonks shrugged and replied simply, "He called me a name – something stupid that I can't remember at the moment."

Remus laughed slightly and placed his book down on the floor next to Devo. "Well," he said, "then I will most certainly tell you something about Snape."

Tonks laughed, but regretted doing so immediately after her head throbbed. Remus, who seemed to understand, rose and left the room. When he returned he was carrying a mug of something that shot purple sparks from its surface every few seconds. He handed it to Tonks and she took it.

"What is it?"

"Why don't you find out?"

"Because I don't trust you."

"Thank you for that."

Tonks rolled her eyes, apprehensively eyed the contents of the mug, and then drank.

"Hmm," she said when she'd finished. She smacked her lips thoughtfully. "I feel better already."

"You're welcome." Remus sat back down and leaned his elbows submissively on his knees. "Do you still want that story?"

Tonks laughed. "Of course I do!"

Remus smiled and thought of a storytelling-worthy memory. He smirked.

"Well, there was this one time I was in seventh year…"

-

While Tonks was on the mend, Remus took it upon himself to have as much 'quiet time' as possible. In other words, Remus walked outside onto Tonks' back porch and into the warm summer air. He stretched and walked a few paces with a paperback edition of _War and Peace_ tucked safely under his arm.

"Ah, here we go," he mumbled happily, and sat down tentatively on the old, green and white striped hammock. While Tonks was taking one of her frequent naps, Remus figured that he would take this opportunity to do something he wanted.

He stretched before swinging his legs up on the hammock and propping a matching pillow behind his head. Leisurely, he opened a very worn _War and Peace_ and began to read.

"Hey Remus."

Remus groaned inwardly, though he didn't show his anxiety. Tonks stood in the doorway, looking pale but otherwise much better than before. He grunted in acknowledgement but otherwise continued reading. Tonks approached the hammock and crossed her arms.

"Talk to me, please," she implored, though it sounded much more like a command.

"I'm reading."

"You're boring."

"Okay."

"You're not going to defend yourself?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Remus didn't reply as he turned a page in his book and continued. Tonks pouted briefly with her arms crossed, but when she got no response she tried again.

"Did you have a pet name?" she asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Remus replied simply, turning another page.

"Your girlfriend."

Remus spared her a sardonic glance before turning, once again, to his book.

"No."

"Then it wasn't a _real_ girlfriend."

Remus rolled his eyes and looked up at the pink-haired sickling.

"There's more to dating than pet names, Tonks," he reasoned patiently, though his voice was slightly dangerous. Tonks laughed.

"So what you're telling me is: you didn't have a pet name and you never shagged or did anything romantic? What kind of a significant other were you?"

Remus closed his book with a snap and looked up at Tonks yet again, looking as if he'd love to be annoyed with the woman but he seemed unable to frown.

"Who says I wasn't romantic?" he asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

"Probably your girlfriend. Or, if you'd like to get technical, ex-girlfriend."

Remus rolled his eyes and opened his book again. Before he had the chance to bury himself in _War and Peace_ again, Tonks sat down on the edge of the hammock.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked.

"It would seem that you already have."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Can I stay here?"

Remus gestured with one hand as if to say, 'It's a big hammock'.

"By all means, sit," he said pleasantly, and began reading again. Tonks took this as an opportunity to swing her legs up on the hammock so that she was sitting beside Remus.

Tonks watched him for a while as he read, wondering if everything was hopeless. She fiddled with the fabric of the hammock for a while, bored out of her mind, and then looked up to see that Remus was still reading. He sighed and turned a page.

"You know, if we were dating, this would be terribly romantic," Tonks said conversationally, moving back and fourth to sway the hammock.

Remus tried not to think of the impatiently wriggling Tonks next to him and replied, "Indeed."

Tonks had really gotten the hammock swinging now, enough to make Remus feel slightly sick. Instead of admitting this, however, he closed his book and placed it on his lap. Everything was spinning.

"You should stop," he said warningly, closing his eyes briefly.

"Why?" Tonks asked, swinging the hammock even more, apparently enjoying herself thoroughly.

"Because you might –" Remus began, but his words were drowned in a screech as Tonks toppled off the hammock and onto the ground. Alarmed, Remus tossed his old book onto the ground and peered over the edge of the hammock, which had begun to lose some of its momentum. He took one look at the sheepish, but otherwise unscathed Tonks and finished his sentence with a hint of derision, his eyebrows raised. "Fall."

Tonks giggled and slowly got to her feet, stumbled, and finally stood. She dusted herself off in a dignified manner.

"Well, I feel much better," she announced.

Remus smiled and closed his eyes, relaxing as the swaying of the hammock slowed to a gentle rock. "Good," he said. She could tell he meant it.

Tonks took a deep breath, being careful not to make any sound. She knew Remus fancied her and, by this time, surely he realized how much happier he'd be with her. She thought that he must be happier here, away from Grimmauld Place. Now would be a good time to take action if there ever was one. She sat down attentively again, her legs dangling and swaying with the motion of the hammock.

Remus felt her sit down, but he didn't open his eyes. Right now, with the sun playing on his face and a soft smile turning in the corners of his mouth, he was quite content. And then something happened that he hadn't been expecting in the slightest. He felt warm, soft lips upon his own. Though his mind wanted to react – to protest and say that this couldn't be, that what he said in the beginning still stood – his body and heart were quicker. And, before he knew how or why, his arms had somehow pulled her down and he had kissed her in return, and his mind was reeling between remembering that he was a dangerous werewolf and delighting in the fact that she tasted like strawberries and chocolate. And then, too soon, he opened his eyes and sat up.

He pulled away, hating himself for it, and stood up. Tonks said nothing, but stared on, a look of slight shock on her face. Neither of them said anything as Remus walked across the porch, slid open the glass door, and disappeared inside the flat. Moments later Tonks heard the opening and subsequent sound of the bedroom door closing. She frowned and lay down on the hammock, arms crossed behind her head and thoughts running through her mind.

-

That night a fierce storm caught Tonks unprepared. No, she wasn't afraid of a little thunder, nor was she frightened of lightning. Not afraid, just a little shaken. The combination of being 'not afraid, but shaken' and already not being able to sleep due to certain events that had taken place that afternoon had a bad effect on Tonks. Sighing, she hauled herself out of bed.

Remus couldn't sleep, either. The thought that Tonks fancied him, after everything that had happened, was a little overwhelming. And then, of course, he was still scolding himself for kissing her, then walking away from her.

_She snogged you first,_ he reminded himself.

_Well you weren't exactly protesting_, he thought back at himself.

Suddenly his bedroom door opened a crack and a soft knock followed. Remus sat up in bed, holding the bedclothes high enough to hide his bare chest from view.

"Tonks, is that you?"

"No, it's a Death Eater in disguise," Tonks replied, and then asked, "Can I come in?"

Remus nodded and Tonks entered the room, looking rather out of place in pajamas the same shade of pink as her hair.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked slowly.

Tonks nodded and then jumped as a boom of thunder shook the flat. Remus chuckled and clambered out of bed.

"Afraid of thunderstorms?"

"No, just shaken," replied Tonks defensively.

"Aha." Remus' eyes twinkled as he crossed the room and stood in front of Tonks. He looked down at the teddy bear she held loosely by the arm. "Nice bear," he added with a smile.

Tonks grinned and hugged the bear close to her chest. "His name is Waldo," she said. "I've had him since forever."

Remus chuckled slightly and then remembered that he was in an awkward position, what with what happened a few hours ago. A flash of lightning lit up the room, followed immediately by a loud clap of thunder. Tonks grimaced slightly and Remus scratched the back of his neck with uncertainty.

"Well," he said slowly, searching for the right words. ""Er, would you like to stay here until the storm passes?"

Tonks shifted uncomfortably.

"What if the storm lasts all night?" she asked.

Remus stepped towards her a step so that they were almost touching.

"I'm sleeping in a queen size, remember?" he said almost teasingly, and Tonks chuckled.

"I told you it would serve a purpose," Tonks replied in the same tone, smirking sheepishly.

Remus looked down on the pink-haired Auror and sighed to himself. After everything, all the protesting and all the fighting, he'd realized one thing: he really was happier with Tonks and, it seemed, she needed him almost as much as he needed her. He touched her arm gently and she shivered.

"Ah, but I'm willing to bet you didn't think you'd be the one in it," he mused, leaning in a little closer to her. He wasn't referring to anything suggestive, really, and he knew Tonks knew it as well. He was after all, Remus Lupin. He was supposed to be the noble one.

As their lips touched for the second time, Tonks couldn't help but wonder, after desperate attempts at getting him, exactly who had gotten who.

-

_FIN _

* * *

A/N: Since I have a bit of a … situation… at my house, this is the perfect time to post. I've been forced to evacuate my place of living due to a major backup of sewage and all that wonderful stuff. They need to acess the emergency outlet thing to unclog the pipes and guess where the emergency thing is? In my room, of course. Now if I'm not swimming in crap by the afternoon my day will have been made. I guess you could call it a shitty situation. 


End file.
